Workpiece loading and unloading method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for successively moving a plurality of workpieces into position where they can be clamped in place on workpiece processing apparatus and thereafter removed and automatically ejected. The workpieces are preferably fed from a magazine, and preferably one or two at a time, into a V-shaped notch formed in the end of a reciprocable chuck. The chuck is provided with passageways which terminate at the notch and are evacuated such that the workpiece will be held in place by suction. Additionally, a rotatable finger may be employed to help hold the workpiece on the chuck. After the chuck is loaded, it is moved forwardly to a position where it is in alignment with the center line of clamping members on the processing apparatus; the workpiece is clamped; the suction terminated while the finger is rotated out of engagement with the workpiece; and the chuck is retracted. In order to remove the workpiece from the processing apparatus, much the same cycle is repeated, except that the workpiece is ejected from the chuck as it is retracted.

United States Patent Vale et al.

[451 Aug. 1, 1972 [54] WORKPIECE LOADING AND UNLOADING METHOD ANDAPPARATUS [72] Inventors: Peter C. Vale; Anthony Palazzola,

both of Detroit; Nicolae Grui,

Berkley; Raymond F. Nixon, Bloomfield Hills, all of Mich.

[73] Assignee: Carmet Company, Pittsburgh, Pa.

[58] Field of Search...5ll2l5 R, 215 H, 235; 83/280, 83/28l,4l7;2l4/l.4;90/11 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,345,648 4/1944Wolfskill ..5l/2l5 H X 3,552,062 l/l97l Brown ..5l/2l5 H PrimaryExaminer-Othell M. Simpson Attorney-Vincent G. Giola and Robert F.Dropkin [57] ABSTRACT Method and apparatus for successively moving aplurality of workpieces into position where they can be clamped in placeon workpiece processing apparatus and thereafter removed andautomatically ejected. The workpieces are preferably fed from amagazine, and preferably one or two at a time, into a V-shaped notchformed in the end of a reciprocable chuck. The chuck is provided withpassageways which terminate at the notch and are evacuated such that theworkpiece will be held in place by suction. Additionally, a rotatablefinger may be employed to help hold the workpiece on the chuck. Afterthe chuck is loaded, it is moved forwardly to a position where it is inalignment with the center line of clamping members on the processingapparatus; the workpiece is clamped; the suction terminated while thefinger is rotated out of engagement with the workpiece; and the chuck isretracted. In order to remove the workpiece from the processingapparatus, much the same cycle is repeated, except that the workpiece isejected from the chuck as it is retracted.

14 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEBAUS 1 m2 saw 2 or 4 INVENTORS.PETER C. VALE, ANTHONY PALAZZOLA,

N/COLAE GRU/ 8 RAYMOND N/XON PATENTEmuc' 1 I972 I 3.680.267

' sum 3 ur 4 s a I316 $38 F/G. 6.

//v VE/V TORS. PETER a. 1/41. E, ANTHONY PAL 42201.4,

NICOLAKE GRU/ 8 RA m 0ND E N/XON A I rorney- WORKPIECE LOADING ANDUNLOADING METHOD AND APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION While notlimited thereto, the present invention is particularly adapted for usein loading and unloading workpieces into a machine tool having aheadstock and tailstock between which the workpiece is clamped as it isturned or ground. In an automatic grinder for tool inserts, for example,the workpiece is gripped between the clamp spindles mounted on a rockinghousing such that the periphery of the workpiece can be moved intocontact with a grinding wheel as the workpiece is rotated on thespindles.

In the past, workpieces have been manually loaded and unloaded on amachine of this type. The operator manually locked a locating deviceonto the aforesaid rocking housing which oriented the insert to thecenter line of the headstock and tailstock of the grinder. After thisorientation, the operator manually locked the insert between two endspindles and removed the locating device, pushed the start button; andfrom this point the grinding operation commenced. After the grindingoperation was completed, the operator had to manually remove a groundworkpiece and load a new workpiece to be ground. Needless to say,loading and unloading workpieces in this manner is tedious and requiresa great deal of manual labor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method andapparatus for automatically loading and unloading one or a plurality ofworkpieces sequentially into and from processing apparatus of the typedescribed above.

In accordance with the invention, a reciprocable chuck member isprovided having a groove in the forward face thereof, together withmeans for feeding workpieces one by one into the groove and intoalignment with the reciprocable chuck. Suction means are provided forholding a workpiece within the groove. After the workpiece is thus heldwithin the groove by the suction means, the chuck member is moved fromits retracted position where the workpiece is loaded into the groove toan extended position where it can be clamped by clamping means onprocessing apparatus. After the workpiece is thus clamped, the suctionmeans is disabled to release the workpiece from the chuck; whereupon thechuck member is moved back into its retracted position.

After the workpiece is processed, it is moved into a position where itagain can be engaged by the groove in the reciprocable chuck member andthe chuck member is moved forwardly with the suction means again beingactivated so as to engage and grip the workpiece which is now releasedby the clamping means on the processing apparatus. The chuck member isthen retracted; and because of the orientation of the workpiece as it isremoved from the processing apparatus, it strikes an abutment and isautomatically ejected as the chuck member moves backwardly preparatoryto receiving a new workpiece; whereupon the cycle is repeated.

Preferably, the workpieces are placed in side-by-side relationship in aV-shaped magazine and are forced by a fluid cylinder device, one or twoat a time, against a stop member such that they are in alignment withthe groove in the chuck member. In addition to holding the workpieceswithin the groove by suction, it is preferable in accordance with theinvention to provide a finger which rotates from-an extended position toa position where it engages the side of a workpiece opposite the groovein the chuck member. This rotatable finger is rotated into a positionwhere it is out of engagement with the workpiece once the workpiece hasbeen engaged by the clamping means on the processing apparatus.

As will be seen, the supply of workpieces can be loaded into theaforesaid magazine and the loading and unloading apparatus automaticallycycled in conjunction with the operational cycle of the processingapparatus such that a workpiece will be loaded into the processingapparatus; the processing apparatus cycled; the workpiece removed; and anew workpiece inserted without any attention on the part of an operator.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification,and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a simplified version of the loading andunloading apparatus of the invention, showing its relationship to anautomatic grinder;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the loading and unloading apparatus of theinvention, again showing its relationship to an automatic grindingmachine;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line III-IIIof FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the loading and unloading apparatus of theinvention taken substantially along line lV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partially broken-away elevational view of the reciprocablechuck member of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the chuck member of FIG. 5 takensubstantially along line VIVI of FIG.

FIGS. 7A-7D illustrate various workpiece shapes which can be processedby the loading and unloading apparatus of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic control system for the apparatus of theinvention.

With reference now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, there isshown a chuck member 10 having a generally T-shaped cross-sectionalconfiguration and reciprocable along a straight-line path back and forthalong the direction of arrow 12. At the forward end of the T-shapedchuck member 10 is a generally V-shaped notch 14 having openings 16connected through interior passageways (hereinafter described in detail)to a vacuum pump such that suction is created at the openings 16.

The chuck member 10 is shown in FIG. 1 in its retracted position whereit is adjacent the end of a V- shaped magazine block 18 which carries aplurality of workpieces 20. In the particular illustration given herein,the workpieces are square in configuration; however they can be any oneof a number of different shapes as will hereinafter be explained. Theworkpieces 20 are pushed along the bottom of the V-shaped magazine 18 bya push rod 22 connected to the end of a piston rod 24 of fluid cylinder26 which is preferably of the pneumatic type. When the cylinder 26 ispressurized or pulsed momentarily, the workpieces 20 are pushed fromleft to right along the direction of arrow 28 and into engagement with astop member 30 which is shown broken away in FIG. 1. The stop member 30is spaced from the end of the magazine 18 such that the chuck member canslide between the two.

When the workpieces 20 are pushed in the direction of arrow 28 by thecylinder 26, the forward workpiece engages the stop member 30 where itis in alignment with the vertical portion of the chuck member 10.Thereafter, the passageways to which the openings 16 are connected areevacuated such that the workpiece will be held within the V-shaped notch14 by suction. Additionally, a finger 32 may be moved downwardly aboutpivot point 34 by a fluid cylinder, hereinafter described in detail.When the finger 32 is thus rotated downwardly, it engages the side ofthe workpiece '20 opposite the notch 14 and assists in holding theworkpiece in place.

After the workpiece is positioned within the notch 14 and held in placeby suction and the finger 32, the reciprocable chuck member 10, whichcarries the finger 32, is moved forwardly until the center line of theworkpiece is in alignment with the center line of the headstock 36 andtailstock 38 of automatic grinding apparatus, generally designated bythe reference numeral 40. While the invention can be utilized forloading and unloading workpieces for many types of metalworking and thelike operations, it is particularly adapted for use in manipulatingworkpieces for a machine tool, such as a lathe or grinder, having aheadstock and tailstock.

When the workpiece is thus positioned in alignment with the headstockand tailstock of the grinding apparatus, one of two spindles 42 is movedforwardly to.

clamp the workpiece against a stationary spindle 44. After the workpieceis securely clamped in this manner, the openings 16 in the V-shapednotch 14 are disconnected from the vacuum pump to which they werepreviously connected; and the finger 32 is rotated upwardly whereby thechuck member 10 can be moved backwardly into its retracted positionshown in FIG. 1. At this point, the grinding operation is automaticallystarted. The unloading operation is similar except that the workpiece isejected from notch 14 as member 10 retracts, as will be explainedhereinafter.

The particular grinder shown herein schematically illustrates thegrinder sold by I-Iarvill-Johnson Corporation of Hazel Park, Michiganand identified as its Model 500. The headstock and tailstock 36 and 38are connected at their opposite ends to spindle housings 48 which arepivotal about the axes of shaft 50. The headstock 36 is connected, atits end opposite the spindle 42, to a cam 52 which rides on an idlerwheel 54 rotatable about a stationary axis 56. The spindle housing 48and cam 52, which can pivot about axis 50 through a limited extent asindicated by the arrow 58, are urged to rotate in a counterclockwisedirection as viewed in FIG. 1 by means of an air cylinder 60. Thismaintains cam '52 in snug abutting relationship with the idler wheel 54.Therefore, as the headstock and tailstock 36 and 38 are pivoted aboutshaft 50, the angular position of the workpiece relative to a grindingwheel 62 can be varied. In this manner, the entire periphery of theworkpiece 20 can be ground. The foregoing description of the grinder,while abbreviated, ,will suffice for purposes of the present applicationsince the invention has applicability to any type of machine tool orother processing equipment where a workpiece is inserted into a clampingposition, clamped, and thereafter removed at the completion ofprocessing.

The details of the loading and unloading apparatus of the invention areshown in FIGS. 2-6. A mounting plate 64 (FIG. 2) is connected to theunderside of the grinder 40 and carries, at its opposite end, a castbracket 66. The bracket 66 carries, at its rearward end, an upstandingportion 68 having a generally U-shaped opening 70 therein (FIG. 4). Asis best shown in FIG. 3, the U- shaped opening 70 and upstanding portion68 receive a slide 72 which also has a U-shaped opening 74 therein (FIG.4). The slide 72 is held within the U-shaped opening 70 of upstandingportion 68 by means of a pair of gibbs 75 secured to the casting 66 bymeans of bolts 76. Projecting outwardly from the slide 72 is aprojection 78 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which receives the threaded end 80 of amicrometer adjustment device 82 carried on the casting 66. By rotatingthe shaft 84 of the micrometer adjustment device 82, the slide 72 can becaused to move upwardly or downwardly between the gibbs 75 in theUshaped opening 70.

At the top of the slide 72, above the opening 74 therein, is a threadedopening which receives the end of a fluid cylinder 86. The piston rod 88of the fluid cylinder 86 is connected to an upstanding portion 90 of aclamping bracket 92. The clamping bracket 92, in turn, is secured bymeans of bolts 94 to the top, horizontal flat portion 96 of thereciprocable chuck member 10. The clamp bracket 92 is provided withslotted openings through which the bolts 94 pass such that the positionof the clamp bracket can be varied by rotating a bolt 98 which passesthrough a block 100 secured to the trailing end of the horizontalportion 96 of chuck member 10. The forward end of the bolt 98 isthreaded into the clamp bracket 92 as shown. At the side of upstandingportion 90 opposite the piston rod 88 of the cylinder 86 is a locatingpin 102. Since the cylinder 86 is carried on slide 72, and since thepiston rod 88 is connected through clamp bracket 92 to the chuck member10, it will be appreciated that when the cylinder 86 is pressurized inone direction, they piston rod 88 will move to the left as viewed inFIG. 2, carrying with it the clamp bracket 92 and the chuck member 10.Similarly, when the piston rod 88 is retracted, it will carry with itthe clamp bracket 92 and chuck member 10.

The clamp bracket 92 is provided with an opening 104 (FIG. 2) whichreceives a pneumatic cylinder 106 having a piston 108 therein. Thepiston 108, in turn, is resiliently urged to the right as viewed in FIG.2 by means of coil spring 110. The piston rod 112 for cylinder 106 isconnected at its end opposite piston 108 to a block 114 having pins 116projecting horizontally outwardly from its sides. The block 114 ispositioned between a pair of arms 118 with the pins 116 fitted into.U-shaped openings 120 therein. The anns 118, in turn, are 'pivotallyconnected at 34 to arms 124 extending outwardly from the base of theclamp bracket 92.

Secured to a block member 119 (FIG. 1) spanning the distance between thetwo arms 118 is the finger 32 which can rotate about pivot point 34 inthe direction of arrow 126. More specifically, when the cylinder 106 isnot pressurized, the spring 110 will retract the piston rod 112, therebycausing the arms 118 and the finger 32 to rotate clockwise into theposition shown in the drawings. However, when the cylinder 106 ispressurized via conduit 128, the piston 108 and the piston rod 112 willbe forced to move to the left as viewed in FIG. 2 against the force ofspring 110, thereby rotating the finger 32 downwardly and intoengagement with a workpiece, such as workpiece 20 of FIG. 1, positionedwithin the V-shaped notch 14 in the forward end of the chuck member 10.

Reviewing the operation of the device as thus far described, aworkpiece, when positioned within the V- shaped notch 14, is heldtherein by suction created at the openings 16 (FIG. 1). At the sametime, the finger 32 is caused to move downwardly and into engagementwith the side of the workpiece opposite the notch 14. Thereafter, thecylinder 86 is pressurized to move the clamp bracket 92 and the chuckmember carried thereby forwardly and through the opening 76 in slide 72until they reach the dotted-line position shown in FIG. 2 where thelocating pin 102 enters a notch 130 provided in a block 132 mounted onthe frame for the grinding machine 40. The arrangement is such that whenthe locating pin 102 enters the notch 130 and is seated therein, thecenter line of the workpiece carried within the notch 14 will be alignedwith the center line of the headstock and tailstock of the grindingapparatus. The forward travel of the assembly can, of course, beregulated by loosening bolts 94 and rotating bolt 98 in one direction orthe other. Means, not shown, can also be provided for shifting thecasting 66 and, hence, the center line of chuck member 10 to the rightor left in a horizontal plane.

After the chuck member 10 is moved into the dottedline position shown inFIG. 2 and aligned with the center line of the headstock and tailstockof the grinding apparatus, the movable spindle 42 forces the workpieceagainst the stationary spindle 44, thereby clamping the workpiece inplace on the grinding apparatus.

Thereafter, the pressure applied to cylinder 106 isreleased, whereby thespring 110 causes the finger 32 to rotate upwardly into the full-lineposition shown in FIG. 2. At the same time, the vacuum created atopenings 16 is released, such that the workpiece is released from thechuck member 10. Finally, the cylinder 86 is pressurized to moveelements 92 and 10 back into the full-line position shown in FIG. 1.

The details of the chuck member 10 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Itcomprises the upper horizontal portion 96 having a downwardly-dependingvertical por tion 134 which provides a generally T-shaped cross section.The notch 14 at the forward end of the chuck member is formed in thevertical portion 134 as shown. The horizontal portion 96 is drilled toprovide a longitudinal bore 136 which communicates with bore 138 and thepassageways 16 which open onto the face of the notch 14.

FIGS. 7A-7D illustrate various workpiece configurations which can behandled by the chuck member 10. In FIG. 7A, the workpiece 140 is square;in FIG. 7B, the workpiece 142 is hexagonal in configuration; in FIG. 7C,the workpiece 144 is circular; and in FIG. 7D, the workpiece 146 istriangular in configuration. The

shapes shown in FIGS. 7A-7D, however, are intended to be exemplary only.It is, of course, important that the openings 16 engage a surfaceportion of the edge of the workpiece. In certain cases, the same chuckmember 10 can be used for various shapes and sizes of workpieces;however it may be necessary from time-to-time to change the chuck member10; and this can easily be accomplished since the chuck member 10 isonly suspended from the clamp bracket 92 and can be easily connected toit or disconnected therefrom.

Reverting again to FIGS. 2 and 4, and particularly to FIG. 4, thecasting 66 is provided with an integral, outwardly extending platform148 which carries, on its upper surface, the V-shaped magazine 18. Themagazine 18 carries the workpieces 20 in side-by-side relationship. Thepiston rod 24 of the fluid cylinder 26 carried on bracket 150 isconnected to the push rod 22 adapted to engage the end of the stack ofworkpieces 20. Slideable in grooves 154 in the sides of the V- shapedmagazine 18 is a generally U-shaped member 158 through which theworkpieces 20 can pass. The U- shaped member 158 carries a spring fingeror locating blade 160 which is urged intosnug abutting relationship withthe tops of the workpieces. A trigger 162 is connected to the piston rod24 in order that the push rod 22 and piston rod 24 can be movedbackwardly manually by an operator in order to insert more workpiecesinto the magazine 18.

In the operation of the loading device, the operator will move the pushrod 24 backwardly by pushing the trigger 162 and will thereafter inserta supply of workpieces into the magazine. Then, the operator moves thepush rod 22 up into snug abutting relationship with the remainder of theworkpieces 20 in the magazine, making certain not to exert enoughpressure to overcome the holding force of the spring finger 160 so as toinadvertently force a workpiece against the stop 130 and in alignmentwith the chuck member 10 when a workpiece is being processed. That is,once a workpiece is inserted into the grinder or other processingequipment, it must be removed before the next workpiece is moved intoalignment with the chuck member. When it is desired to move a workpieceinto alignment with the chuck member, the cylinder 26 is pulsed, therebyforcing all of the workpieces in the magazine to the right as viewed inFIG. 4 and pushing the first workpiece into alignment with the V-shapednotch 14. This pulsing occurs only when the chuck member 10 is retractedfollowing ejection of a workpiece which has been processed.

The cycle of operation of the machine is as follows. Assuming that thegrinding machine or other processing apparatus is ready to receive a newworkpiece to be processed, the cylinder 26 is initially pulsed, therebypushing the workpieces 20 to the right as viewed in FIG. 4 until thefurthermost workpiece engages the stop 30 and is in alignment with thenotch 14. At this point, the passageways 16 within the chuck member 10are evacuated via flexible conduit 164 shown in FIG. 2 and cylinder 106is pressurized to move the finger 32 downwardly and into engagement withthe forward end of the workpiece. Thereafter, the cylinder 86 ispressurized to move the clamp bracket 92 and the chuck member 10 carriedthereby to the left as shown in FIG. 2 until the locating pin 102engages the V-shaped notch 130 in block 132. The width of the verticalportion 134 of the chuck member is preferably slightly less than that ofa workpiece so that it can pass between magazine 18 and stop 30 whileengaging and pushing forward only one workpiece.

With the pin 102 in the notch 130, the center line of the workpiece willbe aligned with the center line of the headstock and tailstock 36 and 38shown in FIG. 2. At this point, the movable spindle 42 (FIG. 1) clampsthe workpiece between spindles 42 and 44; whereupon the passagewayswithin the chuck member 10 are disconnected from the vacuum pump and thepressure on piston 108 within cylinder 106 is released. This causes thefinger 32 to move upwardly; and since the passageways 16 are no longerevacuated, the workpiece is released from the chuck member. The cylinder86 is then pressurized in the opposite sense to move the clamp bracket92 and the chuck member 10 backwardly and into the position shown inFIG. 2.

The grinding machine then goes through its normal cycle of operation;and at the end of the cycle the headstock and tailstock 36 and 38 arerotated into a position, determined by actuation of a cam-operated limitswitch hereinafter described, where the workpiece is positioned suchthat its surfaces will be engaged by the surfaces of the V-shaped notch14.

Now, the cylinder 86 is again pressurized to move the chuck member 10and clamp bracket 92 forwardly with the finger 32 raised until thelocating pin 102 again enters the notch 130. At this point, the interiorpassages of the chuck member 10 are evacuated and cylinder 106 ispressurized to move the finger 32 downwardly and into engagement withthe opposite side of the workpiece. The cylinder 86 is again pressurizedin the opposite direction and the chuck member 10 moves backwardly withthe workpiece. As the chuck member 10 moves backwardly and before itreaches its fullyretracted position, the interior. passages aredisconnected from the vacuum pump, as is the cylinder 106. Consequently,the finger 32 moves upwardly. Additionally, and because of thepositioning of the spindles 42 and 44, the workpiece, when it is engagedat the completion of a grinding operation, is off-center with respect tothe notch 14. That is, the workpiece, when it is engaged at thecompletion of a processing operation, is moved slightly to the right(FIG. 4) such that it will engage the stop bracket 30 as the chuckmember 10 is retracted. This will insure that the workpiece is ejectedregardless of the exact timing of the valves connected to conduits 128and 164, for example.

The foregoing cycle of operation can be effected by means ofcam-controlled switches tied into the normal control of the grindingmachine. ln this respect, once the workpiece is inserted into thegrinding machine and the chuck member 10 retracted, the timing cams willinitiate a normal cycle of operation of the grinding machine; and afterthe normal cycle of the grinding machine is terminated, the unloadingcycle of the ap paratus will be initiated.

One type of cam-control system which can be utilized in accordance withthe invention is shown in FIG. 8. A plurality of cams C1-C5 areconnected to a drive motor 170 controlled by motor control circuit 172.Associated with each of the cams ClC5 is a limit switch LS1-LS5. Whenthe start button 171 of the main grinding machine control 174 isdepressed, the grinding machine does not start immediately. Rather, thegrinding machine control circuitry activates motor 170 through motorcontrol 172 to rotate the cams Cl-CS in a counterclockwise direction.

As the cams rotate, the cam Cl initially closes limit switch LS1 topulse cylinder 26. That is, it momentarily opens a valve to admit fluidpressure into the cylinder 26 such that the cylinder will push aworkpiece into alignment with the chuck member 10. This may occur, forexample, at 5 of rotation of the cams. Thereafter, the cam C2 will causelimit switch LS2 to evacuate the passageways 16 in the chuck member 10and pressurize cylinder 106 to move the finger 32 downwardly and intoengagement with the workpiece. This may occur, for example, after 20 ofrotation of the cams and may persist until 90 of rotation have beencompleted. With the workpiece clamped in place in notch 14, and after 30of rotation of the cams, limit switch LS3 pressurizes cylinder 86 tocause the chuck member 10 to move forwardly. The pressure applied to thecylinder 86 may be terminated after of rotation of the cams; but thepiston rod 88 and locating pin 102 will remain in their extendedpositions until the cylinder is pressurized in the opposite sense.

When the locating pin 102 enters the notch 130, a limit switch 176 isactuated which, through the grinding machine control 174, causes themovable spindle 42 to clamp the workpiece in place. Thereafter, startingat of rotation of the cams, limit switch LS4 pressurizes cylinder 86 inthe opposite direction to cause the chuck member 10 to retract. Finally,at 180 of rotation, limit switch LS5 initiates an automatic grindingcycle of the grinding machine via control circuit 174. At the same time,when the automatic cycle of the grinding machine is initiated, a signalis applied to the motor control 172 I to stop the motor and it will beappreciated that at this point the cams have rotated through When theautomatic grinding cycle of the grinding machine has been completed andthe workpiece has been rotated into position where it can again beengaged by the chuck member 10, a limit switch 178 is tripped by a cam180 connected to the grinding machine to apply a magnetic brake (notshown) to the headstock and tailstock 36 and 38. At the same time, themotor 170 is again energized to rotate the cams Cl-CS in acounterclockwise direction. At for example, the limit switch LS3pressurizes cylinder 86 in the forward direction to again move the chuckmember 10 forwardly. However, at this time, the chuck member carries noworkpiece. At, for example, 220 of rotation of the cam C2, limit switchLS2 is closed to again evacuate the passageways 16 and pressurizecylinder 106. By this time, of course, the V-shaped notch 14 will be inengagement with the sides of the workpiece. When the chuck member againmoves forwardly, the locating pin 102 will again enter the notch 130 andtrip limit switch 176. After switch 176 is tripped at this time, itinitiates a time delay which allows sufficient time for the workpiece tobe engaged by the finger 32, whereupon the spindle 42 is retracted tofree the workpiece. Now, at 270 of rotation, the limit switch LS4pressurizes cylinder 86 in the reverse direction, thereby carrying theworkpiece backwardly with the chuck member 10; and at about 290 ofrotation, the limit switch LS2 opens to cause finger 32 to raise and thesuction to be terminated at passageways 16. Consequently, the workpiecewill fall downwardly out of the notch 14; and if it does not falldownwardly, it will be ejected by striking the stop bracket 30 asexplained above. The succeeding loading cycle is started immediately(i.e., when cam Cl again closes limit switch LS1) with the camscontinuing to rotate through to 180 where the automatic grinding machinecycle is again initiated.

Although the invention has been shown in connection with certainspecific embodiments, it will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art that various changes in form, arrangement of parts and methodsteps may be made to suit requirements without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In apparatus for loading and unloading workpieces onto and fromprocessing apparatus of the type wherein the workpiece is clamped byclamping means and thereafter processed, the combination of areciprocable chuck member having a groove in the forward face thereof,means for feeding workpieces into said groove and into alignment withsaid reciprocable chuck, suction means for holding a workpiece withinthe groove in said reciprocable chuck member after it is fed therein bysaid feeding means, means for moving said chuck member from a retractedposition where a workpiece is loaded into said groove to an extendedposition where the workpiece can be clamped by said clamping means ofthe processing apparatus, means for disabling said suction means after aworkpiece held I within said groove is clamped by said clamping means,and means for thereafter retracting said chuck member back into itsretracted position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for feeding workpiecesinto said groove comprises a magazine extending perpendicular to thedirection of movement of said chuck member, the end of the magazinebeing adjacent said groove when the chuck member is in itsfully-retracted position, a stop member on the side of said chuck memberopposite said magazine, and means for urging a plurality of workpiecesarranged in side-by-side relationship on said magazine against said stopmember and into alignment with said groove.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 including fluid cylinder means which ispressurized to move workpieces into alignment with said groove, andmeans for preventing movement of said workpieces into said groove exceptwhen said fluid cylinder means is pressurized.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said groove is generally V-shaped inconfiguration and said suction means comprises passageways in said chuckmember which terminate at the surfaces of said V-shaped groove and areadapted to be connected at their opposite ends to a vacuum pump.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 including finger means positioned above saidgroove and rotatable downwardly into engagement with the side of aworkpiece opposite the side engaged by said groove.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 including means for activating said suctionmeans to hold a workpiece in said groove and for rotating said fingermeans into engagement with said workpiece after the workpiece is fed int'd roove.

'5 "Fhe apparatus of claim 6 including means for disabling said suctionmeans and for rotating said finger out of engagement with said workpieceafter the workpiece is clamped by said clamping means and before saidchuck member is retracted.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 including means for moving said chuck memberfrom its retracted to its extended position without a workpiece in saidgroove after a workpiece has been processed by said processingapparatus, means engaging a processed workpiece in said groove while thechuck member is in its extended position, and means for thereafterretracting said chuck member.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 including means for ejecting the processedworkpiece from said groove while the chuck member is being retracted.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 including a locating pin connected to andreciprocable with said chuck member and engageable with a stop member onsaid processing apparatus to prevent further movement of the chuckmember toward the processing apparatus.

11. In the method for loading and unloading workpieces into and fromprocessing apparatus of the type wherein the workpiece is clamped byclamping means and thereafter processed, the steps of feeding aworkpiece into a notch formed in the forward end of a chuck memberreciprocable toward and away from the processing apparatus, evacuatingpassageways terminating at the notch to hold the workpiece within thenotch, moving the reciprocable member toward the processing apparatusuntil the workpiece is in position to be clamped by the processingapparatus, clamping the workpiece to the processing apparatus whileterminating evacuation of said passageways to release the workpiece fromthe notch, retracting said chuck member, and initiating a processingcycle of said processing apparatus.

12. The method of claim 11 including the steps of moving said chuckmember toward said processing apparatus at the termination of itsprocessing cycle until said notch engages the workpiece, againevacuating said passageways to hold the processed workpiece within thenotch, unclamping said workpiece from the processing apparatus, andagain retracting said chuck member and the workpiece held within saidnotch.

13. The method of claim 11 including the step of mechanically engaging aworkpiece to hold it within said notch when said passageways areevacuated.

14. The method of claim 12 including the step of ejecting a processedworkpiece from said notch as the chuck member is retracted following aprocessing operation.

1. In apparatus for loading and unloading workpieces onto and fromprocessing apparatus of the type wherein the workpiece is clamped byclamping means and thereafter processed, the combination of areciprocable chuck member having a groove in the forward face thereof,means for feeding workpieces into said groove and into alignment withsaid reciprocable chuck, suction means for holding a workpiece withinthe groove in said reciprocable chuck member after it is fed therein bysaid feeding means, means for moving said chuck member from a retractedposition where a workpiece is loaded into said groove to an extendedposition where the workpiece can be clamped by said clamping means ofthe processing apparatus, means for disabling said suction means after aworkpiece held within said groove is clamped by said clamping means, andmeans for thereafter retracting said chuck member back into itsretracted position.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means forfeeding workpieces into said groove comprises a magazine extendingperpendicular to the direction of movement of said chuck member, the endof the magazine being adjacent said groove when the chuck member is inits fully-retracted position, a stop member on the side of said chuckmember opposite said magazine, and means for urging a plurality ofworkpieces arranged in side-by-side relationship on said magazineagainst said stop member and into alignment with said groove.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2 including fluid cylinder means which is pressurizedto move workpieces into alignment with said groove, and means forpreventing movement of said workpieces into said groove except when saidfluid cylinder means is pressurized.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid groove is generally V-shaped in configuration and said suctionmeans comprises passageways in said chuck member which terminate at thesurfaces of said V-shaped groove and are adapted to be connected attheir opposite ends to a vacuum pump.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1including finger means positioned above said groove and rotatabledownwardly into engagement with the side of a workpiece opposite theside engaged by said groove.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 including meansfor activating said suction means to hold a workpiece in said groove andfor rotating said finger means into engagement with said workpiece afterthe workpiece is fed into said groove.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6including means for disabling said suction means and for rotating saidfinger oUt of engagement with said workpiece after the workpiece isclamped by said clamping means and before said chuck member isretracted.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 including means for moving saidchuck member from its retracted to its extended position without aworkpiece in said groove after a workpiece has been processed by saidprocessing apparatus, means engaging a processed workpiece in saidgroove while the chuck member is in its extended position, and means forthereafter retracting said chuck member.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8including means for ejecting the processed workpiece from said groovewhile the chuck member is being retracted.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1including a locating pin connected to and reciprocable with said chuckmember and engageable with a stop member on said processing apparatus toprevent further movement of the chuck member toward the processingapparatus.
 11. In the method for loading and unloading workpieces intoand from processing apparatus of the type wherein the workpiece isclamped by clamping means and thereafter processed, the steps of feedinga workpiece into a notch formed in the forward end of a chuck memberreciprocable toward and away from the processing apparatus, evacuatingpassageways terminating at the notch to hold the workpiece within thenotch, moving the reciprocable member toward the processing apparatusuntil the workpiece is in position to be clamped by the processingapparatus, clamping the workpiece to the processing apparatus whileterminating evacuation of said passageways to release the workpiece fromthe notch, retracting said chuck member, and initiating a processingcycle of said processing apparatus.
 12. The method of claim 11 includingthe steps of moving said chuck member toward said processing apparatusat the termination of its processing cycle until said notch engages theworkpiece, again evacuating said passageways to hold the processedworkpiece within the notch, unclamping said workpiece from theprocessing apparatus, and again retracting said chuck member and theworkpiece held within said notch.
 13. The method of claim 11 includingthe step of mechanically engaging a workpiece to hold it within saidnotch when said passageways are evacuated.
 14. The method of claim 12including the step of ejecting a processed workpiece from said notch asthe chuck member is retracted following a processing operation.